2012 Election ballots go in the mail Oct. 19. Are you familiar with the ballot measures for which youíll be voting?

Posted: Tuesday, Oct 9th, 2012By Theresa Baer Siuslaw News

Reading up on this yearís ballot measures may set a voterís head to spinning, but being an informed voter is the only kind of voter to be. Nine state measures and three county measures, among a slew of candidate officials, await our consideration on local ballots that should start arriving in the mail after Oct. 19.

Based on the arguments accompanying the measures, not a lot of time was put into the language to make them clear to voters what is to be gained ó or lost ó by voting them in, and not just for the voterís understanding, but as legislation if enacted.

Following are brief summaries of the countyís measures and state measures 77 through 82. Measures 83 through 85 will be discussed in the next issue of the Siuslaw News, Oct. 13.

More information is available through some party offices and online at the Secretary of Stateís website, League of Women Voters and votesmart.org, all of which were used as sources for this article, and elsewhere. This guide is not intended to tell voters how to vote, but rather to enumerate the issues for your consideration.